Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington

(1466-1536)

Arthur
Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852), nicknamed ‘The Iron
Duke’, British military commander best known for his victory over Napoleon
at Waterloo in 1815 and his service in the Peninsular War. He was born
in Dublin in 1769, though his family soon re-located to London, where he
attended Eton -- which he hated. Wellesley entered the British army in
1787, mostly because his mother wanted him to be gainfully employed and
saw few prospects for him elsewhere. At first, he was but a half-hearted
soldier, more interested in balls, gambling (he was often in debt) and
music (he was a fair amateur violinist). Eventually, he began to take his
duties more seriously.

He served in Europe against the French during the abortive 1793-1795
Flanders campaign, which was mostly unsuccessful. In 1797, his regiment
was sent to India, where he saw active service in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore
War and the Second Anglo-Maratha War, both part of the eventual British
conquest of India. He returned to Britain in 1805 and sat as an MP for
Rye between 1806 and 1809, becoming Irish Secretary in 1807.

Later that year, General Wellesley was given command of a division in
an expedition to force the Danes to give up their fleet to the British
before it was seized by the French. The expedition was a success. In 1808,
the now-Lieutenant General Wellesley was sent to the aid of the Portuguese
against the French. In 1809, he became commander-in-chief of the British
forces on the Iberian Peninsula. Here, he gained great military distinction,
and, in 1815 after Napoleon’s return from exile on Elba was placed in command
of the Allied forces in Belgium. He faced Napoleon in battle for the first
and only time at Waterloo, where he won a decisive victory.

He was raised to the peerage as the Duke of Wellington in recognition
of his achievements and sat in the House of Lords for the remainder of
his life. Arthur Wellesley died in 1852 and was buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral.
His London home at Apsley House, Piccadilly, is now the Wellington Museum.